The Supreme Court on Friday granted permanent bail to Soni Sori, the Chhattisgarh tribal teacher who was held in New Delhi last October on charges of being a Maoist conduit, reports said.
Sori was accused of receiving "protection money" on behalf of Maoists from the Essar Group. But she
claims she was falsely implicated in a number of cases linking her to Maoist activities.

She can now visit Chhattisgarh, the apex court said.

In November 2013, she was granted an interim bail during the pendency of her bail application as the Chhattisgarh police could not produce all records in the SC at that time.

The Supreme Court had admitted Sori's bail plea in September and had sought response from Chhattisgarh government.

She had approached the apex court challenging the Chhattisgarh high court order denying bail on July 8, 2013.

Sori had been lodged at the Raipur Central Jail since October 2011.

She was arrested on October 4, 2011 in New Delhi by a Chhattisgarh police team. She was then taken to Dantewada for interrogation but was not produced before a court.